What are Maestro cards?
In a nutshell, a brand of debit card issued by Mastercard that is being phased out in the Netherlands.
Why do we dedicate an entire page to them?
Maestro cards are completely unknown in many countries, but very common in the Netherlands. Maestro cards are being phased out during the years of 2023-2024. It is getting easier and easier to use a Visa or Mastercard and most banks no longer issue Maestro cards. However, you may still run into problems every now and then so keep this in mind (and maybe a bit of cash in hand).
So, if you don’t have a Dutch bank card, we highly recommend you source one – either by opening a Dutch bank account, or through an online bank that provides them (for example, Revolut or n26).
Card or cash?
Lastly, those who are new to the Netherlands should know that the Dutch love paying by card and very rarely use cash. You can pay almost everywhere with card.
